The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1887-12-01

Tho Good Old Times.

la this centennial year OF the adoption
Of our constitution II is natural 10 rever
TO the customs, habits aud manners of lft
Of onr forefathers Of hundred years ago
With that exaggerated reverence which
We are apt to pay TO all things which ar,
ancieat, We have looked upon those egood
OLD times as upon golden age which
will never return, nm age Of right thinking
and plain living, which shames the eaudy
degeneracy Of our own times. II is the
hardest lesson we have to learn, that pro.
grcss is the inevitable tendency OF the race,
aud that the present is always better than
the past Let us examine for one moment
the lives OF the people one hundred years
ago
Wealth was the great social distinction
Of the people OF lT77. There was then no
American literature, no art no devotion,
except among limited few. TO scholarly
pursuits The merchant 10 New England
aud the planter in the South were the en-
We'd favorites in fortune and the accepted
leaders in the social aud political world.
Even Thomas Jefferson, whose name has
some to be almost Synonymous with dem
ocracy, maintained great manorial es,ab.
lishment at Monticello and lived in almost
fendal authority amoung his vassals. John
Hancock dressed in style OF regal mag
nfcence that even kings day would not
attempt TO initiate, Hancock" said a
visitor to his excelency, "was dressed in
red velvet cap, within which was one Of
fine linen. The latter was turned up over
the lower edges OF the velvet one, two or
three inches He wore q blue damask
gown lined with silk, white stock, u
white satin embroidered waistcoat, black
satin small clothes, white six stockings
and red morocco slippers. Yet we are
called lavishly extravagant at the present
day; but our richest millionaires can ai-
ford nothing better than broadcloth, and
Jay Gould is SAID to walk 10 and from his
business in straw hat and fifteen dollar
suit.
The means by which merchants acquir-
ed their wealth, to say the least, were not
less questionable than the means employ
ed TO day. The lessons taught in the
counting room. says old Samuel Breck,
"were of the most immoral character SO
soon as a vessel arrived one half of the
cargo was hoisted into the upper part Of
the store, and the other half only entered
at the custom house; and thus we were
in the secret OF smuggling"
The social life of the people at this time
was corrupt. The grossest iDfidelity was
The manners OF the people
were courtly and dignified, but ntolerable
artificial. In keeping with the times re-
quirements Of dignity, the icy frigidity Of
bis bearing is the one blemish on the char
acter Of Washington. Society then, much
more than at present, was matter of ruff
ies and lace; and the Haunting Of purple
and scarlet trappings OF silks, and velvets,
and satins was not by any means con6n-
ID to the feminine sex.
At all familiar aud social gatherings
lhe punch bowl was indispensable, and
.he odor OF New England rum saturated
.he air.
Though we yenerate the great work
lone by the fatheas, yet we are not ready
% say we have made no progress in a
hundred years from their political, social
md moral standpoint.